NPR: Radio Diaries

#30: Claudette Colvin – A “Teenage Rosa Parks”

"History had me glued to the seat."

#29: First Kiss

Josh Cutler has Tourette’s syndrome, a neurological disorder that causes ...

Josh Cutler has Tourette’s syndrome, a neurological disorder that causes uncontrollable tics and involuntary verbal outbursts. In this episode, listen to his teenage diary about getting his first kiss.

#28: The Greatest Songwriter You’ve Never Heard Of

You probably don't know her name, but you definitely know ...

You probably don't know her name, but you definitely know her songs. Rose Marie McCoy passed away recently at the age of 92. On this episode of the Radio Diaries Podcast, we’re remembering Rose and her music.

#27: George Wallace and the Legacy of a Sentence

It was just a single line in an inauguration speech ...

It was just a single line in an inauguration speech given 50 years ago. But Alabama Governor George Wallace’s ‘Segregation Now, Segregation Tomorrow, Segregation Forever’ is remembered as one of the most vehement rallying cries against racial equality ...

#26: The View from the 79th Floor

On July 28, 1945 an Army bomber pilot on a ...

On July 28, 1945 an Army bomber pilot on a routine ferry mission found himself lost in the fog over Manhattan. A dictation machine in a nearby office happened to capture the sound of the plane as it hit the Empire State Building at the 79th floor.

#25: Miss Subways

A beauty pageant, for the working girl.

#24: Last Man on the Mountain – Updated

In West Virginia, people say that in the old days, ...

In West Virginia, people say that in the old days, communities turned into ghost towns when the coal ran out. Now, they turn into ghost towns when mountaintop mines move in.

#23: Busman’s Holiday

The story of William Cimillo, a New York City bus ...

The story of William Cimillo, a New York City bus driver who snapped one day in 1947, left his regular route in the Bronx, and drove his municipal bus down to Florida.

#22: Weasel’s Diary, Revisited

Jose William Huezo Soriano - aka Weasel - is a ...

Jose William Huezo Soriano - aka Weasel - is a 26-year-old Los Angeles resident who gets deported to his parents' home country of El Salvador, which he has not seen since the age of five.

#21: When Ground Zero was Radio Row

For more than four decades, the area around Cortlandt Street ...

For more than four decades, the area around Cortlandt Street in lower Manhattan was the largest collection of radio and electronics stores in the world.